This interview with David Booth of the Sex Law and Policy Center aired on KABF 88.3 FM in Little Rock, Arkansas.
The reality is that it’s incredibly easy to be registered for a sex crime. Lenore Skenazy of Free Range Kids discussed how your child is more likely to be victimized by the registry than by someone on the registry, at a recent conference. There is a load of truth to her claim, and it points to a much larger issue. These registries are punishment, and the lengths of punishment are only bound by the creativity of policymakers. In no way are we saying that sexual wrongdoing isn’t harmful. People who commit sex abuse should be held accountable, but we argue they must also be given a chance at rehabilitation. Their punishments are not making communities safer. People on registries are frequently subject to invasive and homophobic assessments and testing; civil commitment where people are unconstituionally detained with no relief or treatment; restrictions on where registrants can live, work, and be present; lifetime registration, alienation, stigmatization, and discrimination. These collateral damages are also experienced by the people who support and love them, so in reality registries are destroying families.
Listen to the interview here.